Huntington Police Department details monthlong operation

“To combat the summer surge in crime, you have to start early,” said Huntington Police Chief Karl Colder.

Colder said he was proud of his department and believes they have removed some “major violent players” from the streets. Those detailed by Colder included three from Columbus, Ohio, and one from Detroit, Michigan, all who were delivering illegal substances, according to police — mostly heroin and fentanyl.

Colder asked residents of Huntington to be patient, saying, “We have a lot more work to do.”

Colder believes proposed legislation, along with the work of the HPD, will help cut off the flow of heroin and fentanyl coming into the state. He mentioned a bill that would not allow those convicted of attempting to deliver, manufacture or transport fentanyl to be eligible for parole or probation and make the minimum sentence 15 years.

“These are outsiders. This is what they prey on — the small towns of America. We want to do a better job of identifying sources,” Colder said.

Lisa Jordan, assistant special agent in charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said West Virginia is a supply state for guns for those out of state. Criminals will bring in illegal substances and leave with firearms they may be unable to legally purchase in other states, or at least not as quickly.

Jordan said the ATF works with prosecutors to determine which cases should be tried at the federal level, where sentences are usually longer and those convicted serve at least 80% of their sentence on average.

“We try and look at the worst of the worst to go federal,” Jordan said.